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NBA Picks

NBA Picks: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers Game 5

After a night where the Heat portrayed their dominance once again, the Pacers face elimination at home in Game 5. Miami is favored in the NBA Odds, and will be going for their fourth straight win and cover against the Pacers in this series.

Don’t Insult The KingYou
rarely see a player talk trash after two straight losses in the Eastern
Conference Finals, but leave it to the enigma that is Lance Stephenson to do
just that. After calling out Lebron James before Game 4, Stephenson not only
was a no-show in Game 4, but James went off and carried to Heat to victory
along with his wingman, Chris Bosh. LeBron James was incredibly efficient at 13-21,
going for 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Bosh was hot early and
ended with 25 points.

Even
going back home will likely not help the Pacers, because after winning Game 1
in dramatic fashion, the Pacers have slowly slipped back into being “Bad
Pacers.” Ever since that win, the Pacers have looked progressively worse, and
it culminated in Game 4. Once again Roy Hibbert was possessed by the little
aliens from outer space that stole his powers, while Stephenson was a no-show
as well with only nine points in Game 4.

As we
head back to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Heat are -2 favorites in the NBA
Odds, with a total of 184 points. After cashing with the Heat for a second
straight game, I am once again willing to go back to laying points with Miami.
The Pacers are completely psyched out by the James and the Heat, and going back
home likely won’t solve anything. Miami’s small lineup has broken the Pacers,
and after refusing to go small for four straight games, Frank Vogel might have
no other option on Wednesday night.

The Sharp PickMiami is
now 5-1 ATS in their last six games against the Pacers dating back to late this
past regular season, and it seems they have the upper hand in almost every
scenario. In their last ten playoff games, the Pacers are giving up around 97
points per game, which is far above their season averages. Indiana is simply
not good enough offensively to overcome their defensive mishaps across this
series, and with the Heat’s defense likely intensifying in an elimination game,
the Pacers are basically looking at two different ways to be taken out in Game
5 at home.

If they
stay big, the Heat will go to their shooting lineup and three-ball their way to
victory on the road. If the Pacers finally decide to go small and put Hibbert
into a “Kendrick Perkins,” sort of role with Luis Scola getting more minutes,
the Heat will counter with their small lineup and force either Scola or David
West to guard a perimeter player or worse, James.

[gameodds]5/291360/?r-1=43-19-349/us[/gameodds]

If
you’ve ever played chess, most of the time you can tell if the end is near,
whether you are on the winning or losing side. You or you’re opponent are out
of options, pieces and maneuvers, and your weaknesses have been exposed. This
is exactly what is going on in this series, and by my account, the Heat at -2
still has value for our NBA picks. I don’t see any miraculous comeback in the Pacers’ cards, and
that includes Game 5. The Heat have outclassed the Pacers in more ways than one
this series, and I think the pre and post Game 4 comments from Stephenson and
George are perfect examples of that. Even though they are 8-9 ATS in the
playoffs, including the playoffs the Pacers are 17-37 ATS since the start of
the month of February. Lay the points with the Heat in Game 5.